Tax Simplification Panel to give Kiwis a say

Revenue Minister Todd McClay has announced the
establishment of the Taxpayer’s Simplification Panel to
give New Zealanders a voice in simplifying, modernising and
transforming the way we pay tax.

The Taxpayer’s
Simplification Panel will ask customers to submit their
views on any aspect of tax compliance to find areas where
Inland Revenue can make paying tax easier for
taxpayers.

Part of the IR4U programme of better engaging
with the public, the Panel will consist of representatives
of individual taxpayers, small businesses, and also the tax
advisory community.

“Increasingly Inland Revenue is a
customer service focused agency and the Taxpayer’s
Simplification Panel will be an important tool for taxpayers
to interact directly with us,” Mr McClay says.

“It is
a chance for Kiwis to have their say on Inland Revenue’s
processes, to tell us about the things that might frustrate
them, and submit ideas about how things can be done
better.”

There are more than 3 million PAYE taxpayers
alone.

“I am particularly keen that we engage with
individual taxpayers and small-to-medium business owners
about how we can reduce the amount of time they spend on
red-tape and tax compliance.”

New Zealand has over 450
000 SMEs, which account for 97 per cent of all
businesses.

“It is my view that currently small business
owners are required to spend far too much time on tax
compliance, which is time better spent on running their
businesses.”

Inland Revenue’s ‘Save Time’ campaign
for businesses in Hawkes Bay has already received 300 web or
text submissions since going live on 7 May. The Panel will
consider data gathered from this as part of its first
tranche of work.

“The Panel will also be a valuable tool
in further considering the modernisation and transformation
of Inland Revenue’s business as part of our Business
Transformation agenda.”

“The Taxpayer’s
Simplification Panel will help Inland Revenue ensure they
are consistent with the objective of making tax compliance
faster and easier,” Mr McClay
says.

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